Vehicle theft has become such a widespread and fast-growing problem, particularly in the Baltimore metropolitan region, that elected officials have realized they ignore it at their own political peril.
State powers-that-be have begun to fight back in various ways. House of Delegates members from the northwest sections of Baltimore City and Baltimore County have proposed legislation that would finally create a Maryland law specifically dealing with vehicle theft. The measure would make such a crime a first-degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Baltimore County Executive C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, whose roster of top priorities includes reducing vehicle thefts, testified for the bill last week.
Another significant effort is the new Maryland Vehicle Theft Prevention Council. Earlier this month, the council awarded $983,000 for public education programs around the state. About half the money went toward initiatives in Baltimore City and Baltimore County, the jurisdictions in the region with the highest vehicle-theft rates by far.
One of these initiatives is the city-county task force to analyze the theft problem and devise solutions. Convened last month, the panel has its work cut out for it. Through the first nine months of 1994, thefts in the city accounted for 36 percent of the statewide total, though only 7 percent of the state's vehicles are registered by Baltimoreans. Baltimore County, with 16 percent of the registered vehicles in Maryland, had 17 percent of the thefts in the state during the same nine-month period. By comparison, Anne Arundel County had 5 percent of the state thefts; Howard County, 3 percent; Harford and Carroll counties less than 1 percent each.
A major portion of Baltimore City's grant money will be devoted to lowering the number of thefts by juveniles, who account for half of the vehicle heists in Maryland. A youthful gang of auto thieves based in Baltimore has recently occupied the attention of police investigators in both the city and Baltimore County. Young joy-riders have also been blamed for the soaring theft rate in Howard County.
Police officials point out that citizens can do their part by following some basic rules. For example, keys should never be left inside a vehicle, a simple step that would reduce the number of robberies by 20 percent. Moreover, car doors should be kept locked; about 80 percent of stolen vehicles were found unlocked by the thieves. Common-sense measures such as these would do a lot to make a dent in the vehicle theft stats.